Va. Beach man shoots intruder he found in his home

VIRGINIA BEACH

A College Park resident shot and injured a teen he found inside his home unannounced Thursday and will not face criminal charges, police said.

The incident occurred about 12:30 p.m. in the 6300 block of Bucknell Circle, a street that neighbors said has been plagued by break-ins this year. The homeowner heard glass breaking and found an intruder, a male in his late teens, walking up the stairs to the second floor, said Officer Tonya Borman, a police spokeswoman. The resident confronted the youth and shot him, she said.

The teen ran. A few blocks away, a wounded teen asked a passerby for help. That person called 911, and medics took the teen to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, Borman said.

After consulting with prosecutors, detectives charged the 17-year-old with breaking and entering with the intent to commit a felony and destruction of property, police said Friday. He's being held in juvenile detention pending a court hearing. Police do not release the names of juvenile suspects.

The homeowner, whom police did not name, was defending himself and will not face charges, Borman said. He was not injured, she said. No one answered the home's door Thursday evening.

Several neighbors said break-ins have been a problem this year on Bucknell Circle, a tree-shaded loop lined with two-story and ranch-style brick homes. Bucknell Circle is part of Abingdon Village, a subsection of College Park. Residents of the village this year have reported 31 property crimes, including thefts from homes and vehicles, according to police reports online.

Louise Sibly, who lives across the street from Thursday's break-in, said she left to pick up a pizza one afternoon in October and returned to find someone had busted in her side door and snatched her jewelry box. She'd been gone less than an hour.

"Even right now, I'm still afraid," she said. "When I come in, I look through the whole house. I even pull back the shower curtains."

Sibly said she and her husband have lived on Bucknell Circle for 12 years and the October burglary was the first problem they've had. They plan to install security cameras, she said.

Doreen Barnes, who lives two doors away from Sibley, said she installed a security system after someone tried to break into her home around February. Neighbors witnessed the attempt and called police.

A Virginian-Pilot review earlier this year of several cases found prosecutors rarely charge people who shoot intruders, although it's not an option that police encourage, Borman said.

"We don't want people doing that," she said. If someone stumbles upon a break-in, they should leave and call police, she advised.

Kathy Adams, 757-222-5155, kathy.adams@pilotonline.com